039: Seven Essentials of a Writer's Education

Hello and thank you for joining me today! Today’s episode is all about the seven essentials for a writer’s education.

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while, and after I wrote this article a few weeks ago about my philosophy of teaching writing, I thought it was time to share these seven essentials with you.

Whenever I write, I keep with me a “brain book” filled with tools and inspirational totems that help me find my focus. Honestly, I could do a whole episode on the “brain book” alone and the significance of each of the items I keep in it. But there’s one item in particular--an unsharpened pencil--that has a special significance. It was given to me by a teacher who told me to always carry it with me as a symbol of my untapped potential.

I still have that pencil almost fifteen years later, and I keep it as a reminder of how important my education is to my writing. It also remindes me that I should always be open to new ideas.

Each time I launch a new class on DIY MFA, I get that same giddy feeling of anticipation and untapped potential. Since DIY MFA 101 starts next week, I this got me thinking about all the pieces that go into a writing life and how important each one is to your writing life as a whole.

In this episode, I share my seven essentials of a writer's education, and show you how to build each aspect into your writing life.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/039